Things change...

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much things have changed in my lifetime -- since I was a child -- since I graduated from college in the 80's -- since I started training dogs in the 90's. I have been exploring all of the different options of advertising in this age of instant communication and it simply amazes me. Now we have to be so up-to-date, so cutting edge, that we have to be ahead of ourselves!

Truth is, I love it all. I love how I can put something out on the internet and people across the globe can read it instantly. I love keeping track of friends and family through Twitter and Facebook (it reminds me of when I was little and my mom would stand at the back fence with her coffee chatting with the neighbors -- something that was lost, but I think has been rediscovered in a different form). I am learning to like to text and I know it's helping my teenager and I stay more connected. And now, I am venturing into the wonderful world of blogging -- something I wasn't sure I would do, but am willing to try. I am really enjoying learning about the many different ways I can share information with clients.

Dog training has changed too and I think it's for the much better. Using positive reinforcement is so building up instead of tearing down, both of the handler and the dog. I used to dread working with my dog because I didn't want to be mean, I didn't want to see that look on her face that told me she was not understanding and feeling really badly that she was not doing what I wanted. But now, to get the clicker and the treats and to see the joy in my little dog when we get ready to play makes me want to train, to do more, to learn more and I think my dog feels the same way! To watch the shaping, the learning, the understanding is exciting and rewarding for me -- the dogs really seem to love it too.

This slightly middle-aged lady likes the progress we have made in so many areas! I am not going to fight it -- just the opposite, I am going to embrace it!